Almost more
by Kaliya22
Summary: It's about Chris and Rita.... what else needs to be said?  Updated w ch 2, changed rating for possible future content.  And yes, still working on finishing it.  Let me know what you think!
1. Chapter 1

"For the last time Chris, no, you are not borrowing my Jeep tonight!" Rita sighed, exasperated. He gave her a playful glare. Rita rolled her eyes, and grinned at him. Frustrated, Chris pressed his head back into the headrest and closed his eyes. "What am I going to do, Sammy? I can't exactly ask Stephanie to drive on our first date!" Chris' Camero had died just that morning, for the third time in two weeks. "Sorry Sammy," said Rita, "I would if I didn't need it tonight." Chris opened his left eye a tad, looking at her out the corner. "Hot date?" he inquired. "Yea…" she replied. He opened both eyes, and turned to look at her as she drove the Jeep up the driveway to 285 Westview Lane. "With who?" He suddenly went into protective mode, as he always did when Rita had a date. She giggled. "Keisha." Chris' eyes lit up with that look any male gets at the idea of two women together. Rita lightly slapped his arm as she reached to turn off the ignition. "I promised I'd help her move a few things tonight." "Oh," said Chris, trying to sound disappointed. Rita gave him a look, and he grinned at her. Unhooking his seatbelt, he turned his attention to the small mansion they were parked in front of.

The house belonged to a very wealthy, and very recently deceased, Charles and Ruby Huxley. The maid had found them dead in the foyer at 7am this morning. Preliminary investigation pointed to a murder-suicide, but they hadn't ruled out a double murder as of yet. Problem was, as rich as they were, the Huxley's were not well known. They had no suspects for a double murder. The evidence was pretty strong for the murder-suicide, but Rita had a feeling it was just made to look that way, and Rita's feelings tended to be right. Chris got out of the Jeep and gently shut the door behind him.

Over a dozen palm trees kept the front of the brick mansion well shaded, and ivy crawled up the walls. Low, flowing, dark green plants with small purple and yellow flowers surrounded the bases of exotic grasses in the flowerbeds on each side of the veranda. Dark maroon bricks lead up to double oak doors. Chris watched a house gecko slink up the cool veranda walls as they made their way to the door. He noticed Rita rub her arms out of the corner of his eye, as if she were cold. He caught her eye, and she gave an embarrassed smile and half shrugged. He started to say something, but at that moment they heard a noise inside. They met each other's eyes again – no one should be in the house. "I'll get the back," said Rita, softly, as she slipped her heels off. Chris nodded, and headed to the front doors as Rita ducked around the corner of the house.

Chris cautiously approached the double doors. Giant intricate brass knockers adorned them, but Chris had no intention of knocking. He glanced in through the windowpane beside the door, but couldn't see anyone. He gently tried the door handle, and found it open. Quietly pushing the door open, he slipped into the house, closing the door behind him. He heard a muffled noise from the room ahead and to the left of him. Gun drawn, he crept up the hall, checking the right side as well. Once he finished with a quick check of the dining room, he stood outside the doorway to the room he had heard noise in. Glancing in at an angle, he spotted a man in a mirror on the wall. Watching through the mirror, Chris saw him going through some papers on the coffee table. He was about 42 years old, white, with dark brown hair, glasses, and a tall, lanky build. Taking a deep breath, he lunged in, gun pointing at the stranger. "Freeze, police!" The man turned to him, and pulled his own gun, pointing it at Chris. "Whoa, put that down," said Chris, slightly worried. "Just want to talk to you pal." The man didn't move. "I don't want to talk, now get out of here before I shoot you!" "Shooting a cop is a federal offense, wouldn't want to do that now, would you?" Chris had to keep him calm until Rita found them. The man gave a wicked grin. "They'd have to find me to charge me however."

"Now that wouldn't be too tough, would it?" Rita walked in behind the man, her bare feet silent on the floor. The man snarled at her, gun still trained on Chris. "Drop the gun, and we can talk about this." The man made as if to drop his gun, and Chris started to breathe easier. Suddenly, the man whirled on Rita, and a shot rang across the room. It was quickly followed by several other shots as Chris opened fire. The man fell to the ground, his gun falling from his hand. And then Chris saw Rita fall to her knees, a look of shock on her face. "Sammy?" His voice was panicked. He ran across the room, stopping long enough to kick the intruder's gun across the room and verify that he was dead. He ran the remaining steps to Rita, dropping to the floor beside her. He saw the blood now, dripping between her fingers that were pressed over her stomach. "Oh Sam, it'll be ok." Despite his words, his voice wavered with worry. She looked at him, her eyes full of fear. She started to fall forward, but he caught her, pulling her into his arms as he sat on the floor. "Sammy, talk to me, please," he pleaded, reaching for the cell phone in his pocket.

He quickly dialed the station, yelling at the poor operator that answered for an ambulance, calling in an officer down. Rita moaned in his arms, and he dropped the phone. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, pulling her hands gently off the wound. He closed his eyes and turned his head when he saw it – it wasn't good. Glancing around, he noticed a pile of towels nearby. Stretching, he grabbed several, and dropped them beside him. Balling one up, he pressed it over Rita's wound. She gasped, and struggled weakly. He spoke soothingly in her ear. "Rita, it's going to be ok, help will be here soon. Shh, everything will be ok sunshine." He stopped when he realized she had passed out. He sniffed, and realized he was crying. He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the scent of her. "It'll be ok," he mumbled, more to reassure himself than anything.

That was how the paramedics found them moments later. They gently lifted her out of his arms, and laid her on the stretcher. Chris brushed hair dampened by his tears back from her face, and gently kissed her cheek. He told them she'd been shot. They quickly applied a new bandage to her stomach, one keeping pressure against it while another started an IV line. Grabbing the intruder's gun, Chris quickly checked the bullets to make sure they weren't "cop killers" – and thankfully they were not. Taking Rita's hand, he started to walk out with the paramedics, until Captain Lipshitz ran up. "Chris! What happened? Is Rita ok?" He glanced down to Rita, unconscious on the stretcher. Chris quickly filled his Captain in on recent events as they walked out to the ambulance. The crew quickly loaded Rita into the back. Chris looked at his Captain, the question in his eyes. "Go," said Lipshitz. Chris thanked him as he hopped into the back of the ambulance with Rita. Cap nodded. "I'll meet you at the hospital in a few." Chris nodded once as the ambulance doors were closed. He focused on Rita as they raced to the hospital, sirens blaring.

Chris stayed at Rita's side as she was pushed into the hospital. Nurses and doctors replaced the paramedics pushing the stretcher. Chris remained until a nurse firmly pushed him away. He watched as they took Rita into surgery. The swinging double doors closed behind them and Chris wiped the tears off his face. He looked around, feeling totally alone. He started pacing the hall, until a cute nurse spotted him and escorted him to the waiting area. Normally he would've flirted, maybe asked her out, but not today. Today, he could only think about Rita, his best friend. He couldn't imagine life without her. He sat down heavily in one of the metal chairs. Face in his hands, he was unaware Captain Lipshitz had joined him in the room until he felt a hand on his shoulder. He jumped and looked up. Cap smiled at him apologetically, asking "Any word yet?" Chris shook his head. Cap squeezed his shoulder supportively and sat down next to him to wait.

Hours later, Chris was staring at the floor in front of him, lost in memories of good times with Rita. Cap tapped him on the shoulder as a doctor approached them. Chris looked up, quickly standing when he saw the man, still wearing surgical scrubs. He stopped a couple of feet in front of them. "You're here for Rita Lance?" he asked. Chris nodded, not trusting his voice. "I'm Dr. Norris. I just finished her surgery, that was a nasty bullet she took." He paused, looking at their anxious faces, and smiled slightly. "She'll be ok." Chris sighed audibly and sat down. The doctor continued, "The bullet just missed doing any major damage. It tore into her abdomen, nicked her stomach, tore a couple of muscles in her back and lodged in her rib, about an inch to the left of her spinal cord." Chris shivered as he thought about how close she'd come to dying, or being paralyzed. "She's going to need a bit of recovery time however, and some physical therapy to help with her back muscles." Chris finally found his voice. "How long will her recovery take Doc?" "A month, maybe more. Depends on how tough she is." Chris grinned, "She's really tough Doc. When can we see her?" "In about an hour, I'll send a nurse for you when she's in her recovery room and ready. But, she'll be sedated for the next 24 hours, so you have plenty of time before she wakes." Chris thanked the doctor, and went back to waiting. Knowing Chris wouldn't go anywhere, Cap decided to run home to grab some dinner with his wife, Frannie, planning to return later with some food for Chris.

The next day, Chris was leaning on the table next to Rita's bed, idly playing with the roses he had gotten her. Rita opened her eyes a tad and spotted him immediately. She wanted to make a funny remark, but any thought of funny disappeared as she took a breath and pain lanced through her abdomen. She swallowed, and managed a weak, raspy "Chris". He started, and turned to her. Taking her hand, he perched on the side of her bed, noticing her wince at the movement. "Hey sunshine, how are you feeling?" Her answer was a gasp as the wave of pain hit her again. Tears fell from her eyes. "It hurts," she cried. Chris quickly hit the call button for a nurse. Rita moaned, her free hand clutching at her stomach. Chris brushed hair away from her face, and tears off her cheeks. Holding her hand tight, he tried his best to comfort her. Within seconds, a nurse entered the room. She took a syringe and injected it's contents into Rita's IV. Within moments, Rita was deep asleep again. Chris called to the nurse as she was about to leave the room. "How long will she sleep this time?" "Not that long," replied the nurse. "I only gave her a mild dosage. I'm going to find her doctor now, he'll want to examine her." She turned and briskly walked off. Chris turned his attention back to Rita, raising her hand to his lips and gently kissing her fingertips.

A few minutes later, Rita's doctor strode into the room. He stood on the opposite side of Rita, and started taking her blood pressure. "Did she say anything specific about where it hurt when she woke up?" "No, just that it hurt," replied Chris. Dr Norris nodded as he finished with the blood pressure readings. He made quick notes on Rita's chart, and looked at Chris. "Sorry, but I have to kick you out for a few." Chris gently rested Rita's hand back on the bed and headed out to the cafeteria. He figured he could get some coffee while waiting.

Chris was pacing the hall and slowly drinking his coffee when the doctor stepped out of Rita's room. "Is she ok?" Chris asked. Dr Norris nodded, giving him a reassuring smile. "She'll be just fine. She's awake and has asked for you. As soon as the nurses are done you can go in." "Thanks," said Chris. The doctor nodded and walked away. Minutes later the nurses emerged, and told Chris he could go in. He smiled his thanks. He walked into the room, stopping just inside to let his eyes adjust to the dimmer lighting. Rita looked at him and gave him a weary smile. He sat his coffee next to the roses and resumed his earlier perch on the edge of her bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he entwined his fingers with hers. "Horrible," she replied, her voice wavering slightly. Chris squeezed her hand, wishing he could pull her into a hug. He opened his mouth to ask about the doctor's visit, but stopped himself when he saw tears in her eyes. Worried, he raised his free hand to her face, gently caressing her cheek. "What's wrong sunshine?" She didn't answer, rather asked a question of her own. "Will you be here tomorrow Chris?" Avoiding his eyes, she turned her head towards his hand, her lips lightly brushing the heel of his palm. He shivered, a thrill racing through him as he momentarily forgot her question. His fingers traced invisible lines across her forehead. "Of course I'll be here tomorrow Rita," he answered, barely keeping his voice from betraying the desires inside him. "Why?" She turned towards him again, and the tears spilled from her eyes in a hot rush. "The doc wants me to start physical therapy tomorrow." "Ok, and why is this upsetting you so much Sammy?" She bit her lip in an effort to fight back the tears. He ran his thumb over her cheek, brushing away the tears that had already fallen. He thought he felt her tremble under his touch. Her green eyes met his, and he saw her fear. Squeezing her hand tighter, he waited for her reply. "Chris, Dr Norris… when he checked me earlier, he said the damage was more extensive than he thought… he said there's a chance that more damage was done to my spine than he believed. The main test will be if I can walk tomorrow." "What do you mean _if_ you can walk?" Chris' voice betrayed him now, full of worry and fear. Rita's tears flowed freely again. "He's not sure I'll be able to, Chris." Her voice trembled and she turned her head away again, sobbing softly. Chris watched her a moment, thinking of how miserable life at the Palm Beach Police Department would be without her by his side. He used two fingers to turn her face back towards his. Standing up, he bent over her, and softly kissed the tears off her cheeks. Looking deep into her eyes, his face inches from hers, he spoke softly. "You'll walk just fine Sammy. I'll be here to help you do it."

Rita smiled. "Thank you." Her words seemed so simple, but Chris heard the depth to them. "Anything for you, Sammy. Anything." She blinked, and a tear ran down her cheek. Chris caught it with his thumb, brushing it away. "Anything?" she asked, her voice taking on a mischievous hint. "Well, within reason of course." He grinned at her. "What did you have in mind?" "An evening on the beach would be wonderful." _'In your arms'_ her mind finished for her. She silently laughed at herself. She knew if they were on the beach, she would be in his arms, just not in the role she wanted. She felt his fingers run over her cheek, and looked up into his blue eyes. "Once you get out of here Sammy, we can spend as much time at the beach as you'd like!" She smiled up at him, realizing how close his lips were to hers. She blinked slowly, allowing herself a brief moment to fantasize about how his lips would taste. She gave herself a quick mental shake, and met Chris' eyes again. "You must be tired," he said, and she realized he had interpreted her slow blink as sleepiness. Suddenly, she yawned, and realized she was indeed tired. Glad for the distraction, she nodded. "A little," she admitted. Chris softly kissed her cheek, and tucked the blanket around her. "Get some rest Sam, I'll see you bright and early!" "Chris," she said, before he could leave. "Could you stop by my place and grab some clothes for me? Anything is fine, just include a pair of sweats and a t-shirt for tomorrow?" "Of course I will Sammy. Now, get to sleep!" "Goodnight Sammy," she smiled at him. Chris walked out the door, his mind racing over the brief flash of desire he had seen in her eyes. _Could she really want him?_ he wondered. With that thought racing in his mind, he went home and to bed.

The next day dawned bright and cheerful. Rita opened her eyes to a room glowing with the morning sunlight. She noticed Chris wasn't there yet. She hoped nothing came up to keep him from being there. She stretched carefully, feeling her back muscles protest in pain, and the rest of her muscles protest from disuse. She didn't know how much longer she could stand being in bed. It hadn't even been 48 hours and she was already starting to go crazy. She heard the door click open and turned to look, hopeful, but it was just the nurse with a breakfast tray. The nurse sat the tray on the table and rushed off to feed the next patient. Doubtful, Rita carefully lifted the cover off the tray. She took one sniff and quickly replaced the cover, making a face as she did so. At that moment there was a soft knock on the door. It clicked open again and Chris stuck his head in.

"Ah," he exclaimed, on seeing Rita's expression at her breakfast tray. "Looks like I arrived just in time." He slipped into the room, a white bag in one hand and a cardboard carrying tray bearing two large, steaming cups in the other, plus a duffel bag thrown over his shoulder, containing clothes for her. Rita eyed bag and cups hopefully. Chris chuckled at her look, sitting the tray and bag on her bedside table. He placed the offending hospital tray on a chair near the door. Handing Rita her coffee, he grinned. "I figured you wouldn't eat the hospital food, so I made a stop on the way over." Rita put her face over her coffee cup and inhaled deeply, her eyes closing and a soft moan escaping her lips. Chris watched her as she took cautious sips. "How is it?" he asked, sitting a foil wrapped sausage and egg biscuit in front of her. "Wonderful," she purred. Chris chuckled. "Eat your sandwich Sammy, you're going to need your strength soon enough." Rita carefully set her coffee aside and unwrapped the sandwich. She had just taken her first bite when the nurse that brought breakfast stepped in to retrieve the tray. She took one look at Rita, mouthful of sausage and egg biscuit, and laughed. Rita blushed, and started to make excuses. The nurse waved them away, well aware of the quality of the hospital food. She grabbed the tray and left them to finish their meal.

They had just finished eating when another nurse came in. She chased Chris out, saying she had to get Rita dressed for therapy. Chris gleefully offered to help, laughing when both women turned playful glares on him. It wasn't long before he was let back into the room. Rita was wearing the sweatpants he had brought her, plus one of his old shirts. He had found over a dozen of his shirts at her place when he stopped by for clothes for her. "This reminds me Sammy," he said as he pulled up a chair next to her bed. "Do you ever plan on returning my wardrobe to me?" At her quizzical look, he plucked at the sleeve of the shirt she was wearing. "I mean, you must have over a dozen of my shirts tucked away in your dresser. No wonder I never have anything to wear!" She giggled. He grinned at her and flipped on the TV. They watched cartoons for half an hour before Dr Norris came in, two male nurses following him and carrying what looked like metal poles. Rita and Chris watched them set up the poles to form two railings for Rita to use as support. Soon as they were done and gone, Dr Norris moved to Rita's side. He looked at Chris. "Sgt Lorenzo, why don't you stand at the other end, you can be Rita's encouragement." Chris nodded, and, squeezing Rita's hand once, moved to the other end of the makeshift walkway.

Dr Norris helped Rita to sit up. "Now Rita, this is going to hurt, if for no other reason than the fact you had a bullet pass through you. I'm sure your body will protest the time spent in bed as well." Rita nodded, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She took the hand Dr Norris offered, and, grabbing on to the bed for support, carefully stood up. Her legs wobbled, and she almost toppled back into bed. Dr Norris placed her hand on the railing end, and Rita took a deep breath. She let go of the bed with her other hand and grabbed the other railing. She gingerly moved her left leg forward. Chris saw her wince as she took the first step. She moved her right leg up, and gasped in pain, her knuckles white from holding onto the bars to keep from falling. Dr Norris stayed beside her, but left her alone. She met Chris' eyes, needing his support. He saw the pain in hers, the fear. He felt the same fear, but didn't let himself show it. "Come on Rita, you can do it. Besides, you owe me a hug anyway." He grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes in reply but took another step. Chris had to keep himself silent when the next step caused her to cry out in pain. Dr Norris took her arm, but she brushed him off. Biting her lip, she slowly covered the few steps remaining to Chris, giving a couple more gasps of pain along the way. When she was one step away, Chris looked into her beautiful eyes and smiled proudly at her. She held his gaze and took that last step silently, tears falling down her face as she rested her head against his chest, still holding on to the bars for support. Chris gently wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair.

Dr Norris watched the two, thinking they made the perfect couple. He gave them a few seconds, turning to look out the window. Chris saw the motion, and silently thanked the man. He moved his right hand up under Rita's hair, gently rubbing the back of her neck as he kissed the top of her head. She trembled, and he saw her arms were shaking. "Ah Sammy, we better get you back into bed." Dr Norris turned around at Chris' voice, and saw Rita's arms shake harder. He took the few steps to their side and gently helped Chris get Rita back into her bed. She looked up at him with wet eyes. "How'd I do Doc?" He smiled at her. "Wonderful Rita! Don't get me wrong, you still have a bit of recovery to do, and it's going to be hard work, but I think that you'll amaze all of us with your recovery." He winked at her, and she rewarded him with a smile. Dr Norris called the nurses back in to remove the poles, and they left the Sams alone again. Chris leaned over the bed, his face inches from hers. "See Sammy, I told you that you would walk!" She smiled up at him, and ran her fingers over his cheek. "Yes you did Sam. Thank you for being here." He kissed her cheek, replying, "I wouldn't be anywhere else." She grinned, and scooted over on the bed, making room for him. He climbed in, and she snuggled up close to him, yawning. He flipped the TV back to cartoons. Rita was soon asleep, curled up close to him. He watched her for awhile, thinking she looked so peaceful. He gently kissed her forehead, softly whispering, "I love you Sammy." He went back to watching TV, and she snuggled closer, a small smile on her face.

Just three days later, Dr Norris declared Rita was strong enough to go home. Chris was at the hospital bright and early to take her home. As he drove to her place, he filled her in on how horrible life was at the station without her. He'd been doing paperwork since she was shot, and Cap kept trying to partner him with some rookie. She chuckled, and he launched into a story about the hour he was forced to spend with the rookie. Five minutes into his story, he asked Rita a question. When she didn't reply, he looked over to see her fast asleep. He quietly laughed, and finished the fifteen minute drive to her place in silence. He parked next to her Jeep, which he had retrieved for her the day after the shooting, and turned the ignition off. Getting out of the car, he quietly shut the door behind him and made his way to the passenger side. He opened the door and knelt down. Gently shaking Rita, he tried to wake her. "Sammy, wake up. You're home." She slowly opened her eyes. "Mmm, what?" Blinking, she looked around. "Oh, sorry Sam, I must've dozed off." She blushed, and he gave a short laugh. "It's ok Sammy, but let's get you inside before you doze off again." He grinned at her, and she returned the grin.


	2. Chapter 2

As Chris helped her out of his car, Rita gave a whimper of pain. Chris quickly wrapped his arms around her, providing support. Rita leaned against him, taking shallow breaths until the pain eased. As soon as she could, she gently pushed away from Chris, keeping her hands on his arms for support until she was sure she could stand upright. She met his concerned eyes. "I'm okay. I'm sorry," she said, quietly. He reached down and squeezed her hand. "Don't be sorry Sammy." He grabbed her stuff out of the car and she let him help her to her apartment. She stopped just inside the door, leaning on the table her fish tank was on. Trying to disguise her pause, she slowly fed her fish. Chris dropped her stuff on the chair. Walking up behind her, he put his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging her tense muscles. Rita gave an involuntary moan. Chris grinned, and turned her to face him. "Why don't you go change and get into bed. I will come in shortly and finish this massage." Never one to pass up his massages, Rita easily agreed.

Ten minutes later, Chris went to Rita's room. The door was open, and Rita was standing at the mirror brushing her hair. She was wearing another of his shirts and a pair of shorts. "Sammy, one day I'm going to take all of my shirts back," he teased. She gasped and tried to pout about it. He laughed and slipped his shoes off. Settling himself into position on her bed, he patted the mattress in front of him. Rita walked over and carefully climbed onto the bed in front of him. She shivered and pulled the blankets over her legs as Chris ran his hands up her back. She reached up and quickly pulled her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of the way. Chris started massaging her shoulders. As his hands kneaded the tension from her muscles, she moaned again. Each time he moved to a new section of her back his hands elicited soft moans from Rita. As he rubbed her lower back he caught himself thinking of other ways he could make her moan. Blushing, he was thankful her back was to him as he tried to chase those thoughts from his head. He worked his way up her back again, and when he reached her shoulders, she bent her head forward, inviting a neck rub. He bit his lip to keep a groan from escaping as an overwhelming desire to kiss, nibble and lick at the back of her neck overcame him. His hand reached her neck and her skin was oh so soft under his fingers. He gently massaged up to the base of her scalp, and she practically purred. He smiled, then gave in a fraction to his prior desires and planted a chaste kiss on the back of her neck before moving to the other end of the bed.

Rita trembled lightly from the kiss. Whenever Chris gave her massages like that, it always left her on the edge of desire. This time, his kiss on the sensitive skin of her neck had taken her over that edge. It was as if electricity had passed through her and left a glowing, fiery path. She licked her lips, trying to catch her breath and calm her racing heart. Chris pulled the blankets off her feet and began to give her a foot massage, intentionally avoiding her eyes. Rita fluffed the pillows behind her and laid back, slightly propped up. She watched Chris and wondered what else his hands could do. She closed her eyes and gave herself a mental shake – this was her best friend and partner, she wasn't going to ruin that by sleeping with him.

When Chris finished her massage minutes later, they had both mostly regained control of themselves. Chris pulled the blankets back over Rita's feet and perched on the edge of the bed next to her. He finally met her eyes, and saw the embers of her desire. But he also saw sadness, and she looked to be on the verge of tears. "Hey," he said softly, taking her hand. "What's wrong Sammy?" She forced a smile. "Nothing Chris." She looked down to their joined hands. "Thank you for the massage." He knew she was keeping something from him, but didn't press it. He squeezed her hand and stood up. Bending down, he kissed her forehead and left her so she could get some rest. She closed her eyes and soon fell into a fitful sleep.

Chris was almost finished watching Maltese Falcon when he thought he heard something. He stopped the movie and listened. He heard it again, a soft cry coming from the direction of Rita's room. Dropping the remote, he quietly went to her door. He heard her crying inside, and pleading. "No, please no. Don't hurt me… please…" Chris assumed she was having a nightmare, but nonetheless he drew his gun. He opened the door slowly, but Rita was alone in the room. He watched her as she thrashed around on the bed, tears and sweat covering her face. He called out to her but she didn't wake. Walking next to the bed, he called to her again. Still she didn't wake, but pleaded more with her nightmare attacker. Finally Chris reached down and shook her shoulder. She woke with a short scream, scurrying over to the other side of the bed. Looking at him with wild eyes, she cowered there. He held his hands up in front of him to show he meant no harm. He called out to her softly, and she met his eyes. He saw the flicker of recognition. "Chris…" She covered her face with her hands and sobbed.

Worried, Chris rushed over to her. Sitting behind her, he wrapped his arms around her. "Rita, it's ok. You're ok, it was just a dream." She turned in his arms, clinging to him as she cried. He held her tight, speaking soothingly to her until she pulled away from him a few minutes later. She didn't leave his arms, just moved back enough to meet his eyes. "Thanks Sam. I haven't had that nightmare in awhile." She shivered, and he pulled the blanket up around her. "Wanna talk about it?" She automatically opened her mouth to say no, but at that moment Chris reached out to wipe the tears off her face again. As soon as his fingers touched her skin, she hesitated. She looked into his blue eyes and saw his unwavering friendship and devotion to her. And love. Reaching up, she pressed his hand to her cheek, and kissed his palm. Chris felt a tingle of his earlier desire as Rita's lips touched his skin. He sensed that their friendship had just moved to a higher level.

Rita moved her hand to her lap, taking his with it. She entwined her fingers with his, and he squeezed her hand gently. "Chris, this isn't easy for me to talk about. Only one other person knows, and that's my foster brother Michael." She stared into his blue eyes. "Please promise me that you'll tell no one what I'm about to tell you." He met her stare and held it. "I promise Rita." She dropped her gaze. "You already know my mom died when I was young, and my dad committed suicide when I was 7. After that, I was placed in foster homes. First was the Joyner's. They were nice, but I was only there for 2 years. Then I went to the McGregor's and then the Turner's. When I turned 13, they placed me with the Connor's." Rita's hands trembled. Chris squeezed her hand gently and waited patiently. "Natasha Connor was a very strict woman. She made us do our chores perfectly before we could have any dinner. And if something wasn't done to her liking, we went hungry. I met Michael there. They fostered him starting a week after they got me. It seemed they had had two boys before I came, but both had turned 18 and moved out. Anyway, Michael and I became fast friends. He was a year older than me. His parents had given him up for adoption when he was a young boy, and he had been in foster homes since." She paused there, fighting tears. Chris watched her eyes turn dark as she fought back her emotions.

"We had been there for about 3 months when it happened. I came home late from school one day. I thought nothing of it, Natasha would be at work, as would be her husband Melvin, and Michael was going to a friend's. But Melvin was home when I got there. As soon as I shut the door, he appeared. He asked me why I was late. I told him I was sorry, I was just talking with friends. Well that wasn't good enough for him. He grabbed me around the neck, and threw me against the wall, pinning me there. I couldn't breath." Rita looked up at Chris. Tears streamed down her face. Chris ached to hold her, but he had to know the rest of the story now. "He raped me Chris." A sob escaped her. Chris reached for her, but she shied away. "Let me finish Sammy." Chris took her hands in his as she continued. "After the rape, he said he had to punish me. He whipped me. He tied me to the bedpost and whipped me." She closed her eyes at the memory. Chris felt tears fill his eyes. "He raped me 5 more times before Natasha caught him with me one day. She called me an ungrateful whore and sent me back to the foster agency. I guess that was good in the end because they put me with the Lance's after, and they were wonderful." She opened her eyes. "And that's my nightmare Chris."

Chris had stayed silent the whole time Rita was talking. Now, he pulled her to him, whispering softly, "I'm sorry Sammy." She cried softly as he held her. She pulled away after a moment, apologizing. "I'm sorry to dump all this on you Chris. I guess recent stress brought back old fears. Thanks for being here for me." Chris gave her one of his famous smiles. "You're my best friend Rita, I will always be here for you." She returned his smile, but Chris saw the lingering fear and sadness in her eyes. He grabbed her hands, squeezing them slightly. "Want to go down to the beach sunshine?" Some of the sadness left her eyes and she nodded. Chris left the room so she could change while he grabbed blankets for the beach.

Chris spread out a blanket on the warm sand. He tossed a second blanket, folded up, on top of it. Turning around, he saw Rita walking to him. She carried a ice bucket with a bottle of wine and two glasses in one hand, and her shoes in the other. Smiling at him, she sat the bucket and glasses on the blanket and tossed her shoes nearby. She wore shorts and a short sleeve shirt, but had a sweatshirt tied around her waist. She slowly sat down towards the bottom edge of the blanket, burying her feet in the warm sand. He sat down beside her. They sat in comfortable silence for several minutes. Chris watched Rita's toes curl down into the sand and he smiled to himself.

Rita gave an almost inaudible sigh and carefully laid back. She closed her eyes, enjoying the warm sunshine and slight breeze flowing over her. She slowly stretched her arms over her head, feeling the slight twinge in her back.

Chris watched her stretch, saw the discomfort on her face as she did so. He laid down beside her, on his side, his head propped up on his hand. Rita heard him lay down but kept her eyes closed. Chris watched her for a moment. His stomach gave a twinge, and he realized he hadn't eaten yet. And he realized that Rita also hadn't eaten. An idea came to him and he grinned. He leaned down towards her, intending to whisper in her ear. His hand reached playfully towards her side, intending to tickle her. But before he could do either, she suddenly opened her eyes and turned her head towards him. She froze at the sight of him, and their lips were inches apart. Their eyes met, and he saw the flame of desire ignite in hers. A thrill raced through him. Unable to ignore the temptation, he lowered his lips to hers, lightly kissing her.

Rita knew it was wrong, but she felt herself respond to Chris' kiss. Her body was trembling slightly with desire. She opened her lips, inviting a deeper kiss.

Chris couldn't believe it when he felt Rita's lips part beneath his. He hesitated a moment – his mind knew this was wrong, but his heart, body and soul wanted Rita. Just then she ran her tongue teasingly over his lips and his hesitation was gone. He kissed her deeply, shifting his body so that he was propped up above her. She pressed her body against his in response, and he groaned, his hand going to her hip and squeezing.

Rita felt Chris' arousal pressed against her leg. She shifted her leg a bit and he groaned again, pressing himself against her. Her heart raced and her blood was like fire in her veins. She wrapped an arm around him, her hand reaching up to caress the back of his neck. Chris slid his hand upwards from her hip to rub against the side of her breast and she moaned. She kissed him harder, her tongue darting in and out of his mouth.

Rita's passion just aroused Chris even more. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to stand it. He wanted her like he never wanted any other woman.


End file.
